Ergonomically-Correct ‘Wellbeing Toilet’ Helps You Poop the Right Way

The world was a very different place in the 1880s, but one thing has remained the same – the flushable loo! But it looks like its days might be numbered thanks to the ingenious designs of three Central Saint Martin’s graduates.

The toilet, ubiquitous as it is, hasn’t changed much in design or function since indoor plumbing became a thing. In honor of World Toilet Day, plumbing and drain specialists Dyno-Rod decided to change that by holding a competition to create the next-generation loo prototype. The winning design is the Wellbeing Toilet – the world’s first ergonomically-correct loo. Designed by three Central Saint Martin’s (CSM) graduates, this toilet could actually reduce the risk of intestinal cancer and haemorrhoids.

The flushable toilet first appeared on the scene in the 1800’s, but little about its design has changed in all that time. You sit, legs bent at a nearly 90 degree angle, feet on the floor whilst doing your business. Unfortunately for your bowels, this is pretty much the worst way to encourage efficient, um, movement. The way the human digestive system is designed, squatting, not sitting, is the best position for eliminating waste.

CSM graduates Pierre Papet (MA Industrial Design), Victor Johansson (MA Industrial Design) and Samuel Sheard, were challenged to create a toilet that met selected criteria of sustainability, a toilet that is more eco-friendly and a toilet that is better for our health and wellbeing – as well as one that benefits the environment by reducing key hazards such as water waste.

They devised three distinct designs, a zero-waste toilet, a modular toilet and sink, and the wellbeing toilet, which features a sculpted ceramic seat that correctly positions your body with a large ledge in front that makes it easy to draw your knees up into a squatting position.

The winning concept was chosen by a panel of design experts, including Red or Dead founder and now owner of a multi-disciplinary design agency, Wayne Hemingway and Senior Dyno-Rod Engineer, Cliff Huxley. “I have a philosophy that ‘Design is about improving things that matter in life’ and going to the loo certainly matters! The wellbeing toilet looks at the health and wellbeing aspect of getting rid of your bodily waste by enhancing the position of your body by enabling you to squat rather than sit,” said Hemingway when the winner was revealed.